


Mines

by 清子 (softjaebutt)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Comedy, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25839652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softjaebutt/pseuds/%E6%B8%85%E5%AD%90
Summary: "She was a beautiful blessing in my life. I mean that in a literal and figurative sense. Her name is Yamamoto Rie. The way you write Yamamoto-san’s first name combines the characters from 'beautiful' and 'blessing.' Very fitting, right?We met during college when we were both second-year students."A short story where "right person, wrong time," is questioned and explored.
Relationships: Sugawara Koushi/Original Female Character(s), Sugawara Koushi/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Mines

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!
> 
> It has been a /long/ time since I last wrote any story or fanfiction, but I was heavily inspired to write again after watching all four seasons of Haikyuu recently! I watched majority of the first season when it first came out, but starting college and other responsibilities got in the way at the time :(
> 
> But I am back with a short story with my all-time favorite character, Suga! (: I hope you enjoy this short story! I originally planned for this to be a one-shot, but with the way this first chapter progressed, I knew I had to make this longer (:

[ Sugawara Koushi ]

She was a beautiful blessing in my life. I mean that in a literal and figurative sense. Her name is Yamamoto Rie. The way you write Yamamoto-san’s first name combines the characters from “beautiful” and “blessing.” Very fitting, right?

We met during college when we were both second-year students. Daichi and I were walking towards our first class of the day. I remember it was a chilly morning – and it wasn’t because I was wearing one of my favorite light blue coats or that winter was just starting. I forgot what Daichi and I were joking around about, but I do remember him pushing me away from him. The path was seemingly clear to both of us to allow any playfighting, but we were definitely not paying attention.

My left shoulder felt a soft barrier and my laughs stopped suddenly as I turned my body to look at what I hit. There she was – a confused, obviously shocked female who was walking the direction towards us. She started to wobble with her two arms extended slightly as she tried to regain her balance. My instincts immediately had my hands reach out to take a hold of both of her forearms gently to keep her from falling.

From what Daichi observed, my face was stunned the whole time.

_“Your eyes were huge!” Daichi exclaimed as we were walking inside our lecture hall after the incident. “Your jaw was dropped the entire time too. I really wanted to say something but I felt like I would have been interrupting you two,” He continued on with a mischievous grin while we took our seats in the crowded class._

I ended up not paying attention that whole lecture. She was all I could think about that whole hour and a half. After I steadied her, our eyes were locked on each other. Her hazel eyes were staring right at me with her nose and cheeks a light rosy pink from the cold temperature. She had a white beanie rested on top of her wavy light brown shoulder-length hair with her bangs peeked out from under the hem of her beanie. She was _cute._

All it took was a couple seconds for me to register what just happened and I quickly brought my hands back to my side. “Excuse me!” I practically shouted while I bowed down slightly in a mixture of embarrassment and to hide my facial expression.

“Ah—‘” She squeaked in shock as I could see her hands waving around to dismiss me. “It’s okay! I’m sorry as well! I should have paid attention more,” She laughed softly. As I brought my body back up, I caught a quick glimpse of her laugh and _wow…_ She was so bright and warm. A stark difference from the weather.

She stood at around Hinata’s height when he first started playing volleyball. Her neck was craned up slightly to look at me and I couldn’t stop staring into her eyes. Is that what you would call “love at first sight?” I wasn’t sure, but I knew I couldn’t just leave the conversation at that.

“No no, it’s definitely my fault! My friend and I weren’t paying attention.” I was nervous as my hand went up to rub the back of my neck, but that feeling disappeared as I heard her cute laugh again. “I know how that feels. My friends and I do that all the time,” She replied with a warm smile and a little tilt of her head.

“So, do you go here?” I spoke before I could process what was happening. I could hear Daichi attempting to stifle a chuckle and it took almost everything in me to not hit his side in retaliation. “I do. I’m a second year here,” She kept the conversation going without a judgment or suspicion in her voice.

“Really? We are too! I’m Sugawara. Sugawara Koushi,” I introduced myself as I leaned down to bow again. “Yamamoto Rie. It’s nice to meet you,” She replied back while she bowed shortly after me. Just as I was about to respond back to her, her phone rung and we both reacted slightly at the sudden noise.

Her phone was already in her hand and she bowed her head quickly at me before she answered. “I’m coming, I’ll be there soon! Save me a seat, please! Thanks, see you soon!” Her conversation was quick and she hung up immediately. Her lips moved into a small frown and her eyes widened slightly in disappointment. “I have to get to class now. It was nice to meet you, Sugawara-san. I hope we can see each other again!” She bowed once more and waved with her phone in her hand. Her lips extended into a bright and wide smile as she walked away quickly, while all I could do was wave slowly and watch her get farther away from me.

_“Earth to Suga—Suga—Suga! C’mon, class ended! I’m hungry!” Daichi shouted as I stayed in my seat with my notes empty and the ball of my pen dried of ink. Students exited the lecture hall quickly and I cleared my throat to put myself back into reality._

I never really had time to date throughout high school, especially with volleyball taking up majority of our time. I loved it though. The thrill, the ups and downs, the bonds we created—it was the best three years of my life. Yeah, I thought some girls were cute in my year, but I haven’t really thought of anything else.

Now that I’m in college and only play volleyball whenever we visit Kageyama and the rest at Karasuno, I now have the time to relax and experience other events in life.

\- - -

When Yamamoto-san said she would hope to see me again, I hoped for the exact same. I knew this couldn’t be the first and last time we would meet. And well, the gods heard our prayers.

Tanaka invited everyone to a group dinner to celebrate him and Shimizu’s anniversary. We all thought it was odd, but we concluded that Tanaka just wanted an excuse to get everyone together again. Turned out, Tanaka also wanted to play matchmaker and Shimizu unintentionally went along with it as she invited her own friends.

The restaurant was packed with just our party and all of the boys sat in one row while all the girls sat across from us. “Tanaka, still playful as ever,” Asahi murmured under his breath next to me as the girls chattered away while we sat in silence. “Hey, c’mon, this could be fun! It’s good to know that Tanaka still kept us, single ones, in mind,” Nishinoya chimed in as he shed a few fake tears on the other side of me.

“I can’t believe Shimizu even agreed to this whole dinner thing,” Daichi chuckled a couple seats down as he took a sip out of his beer. I couldn’t say anything as my eyes locked onto the girl sitting across from Asahi. It was her—except no beanie on top of her head. Her hair was in a high ponytail instead with thin circular rimmed glasses rested over the bridge of her nose. She was laughing away with her friends next to her and _wow_ she was breathtaking. She wore a slightly oversized white long-sleeved knitted sweater with the sleeves barely over her knuckles. I felt a nudge on my left and my train of thought broke off as I stared at a playful Nishinoya. His grin was wide and his eyes twinkled slightly as he raised an eyebrow, “Already have your eye on someone, huh?” He nudged me again gently in a low whisper to make sure no one else heard us. I felt my whole body tense up and I laughed sheepishly while I brought my index finger up to my lips, “Sshh. I do. I met her just recently actually…on accident.”

Nishinoya laughed—just once—before he slammed his palms on the table to gather our section’s attention. The girls’ laughs stopped abruptly and all eyes were on Nishinoya. “Asahi-san, please switch with Suga! I missed ya, buddy!”

Everyone stayed silent and I tried my best to hold back an expression. Just as I was about to shout at him, Asahi broke the silence and laughed as he started to stand up, “Sure thing. Are you okay with it, Suga?” My head whipped over to Asahi and I laughed shortly, “Yeah. That’s fine.”

“Awesome! Sorry for shouting everyone,” Nishinoya grinned widely as everyone else smiled widely and went back to their separate conversations. Asahi and I switched seats and I sat fully across of Yamamoto-san. Daichi’s left arm tapped my elbow and I could sense his smirk without even looking at him. I forced a wide grin and brought my hand up to slap—I mean pat—Daichi’s back. “Good to see you, Daichi, like I don’t see you almost every single day,” Each word equaled one slap—pat—on the back as I continued to wear my grin. Daichi, on the other hand, coughed and rolled his hands into fists as he accepted the subtle punishment for his teasing.

The conversation between Yamamoto-san and her friends started to die down and my ears caught on to the cute laugh that I heard the first time we met a couple weeks ago. “Hello, Sugawara-san,” She greeted with a gentle smile. “Yamamoto-san, hello. Small world, huh? Do you know Tanaka or Shimuzu?” I asked as I pulled my hand away from Daichi and rested my arms on the table.

“Kiyoko-chan and I met when we were in middle school! We were both in track and field,” She confirmed while she reached over to grab her beer. Her sleeves were rolled up this time to her elbows and she took a sip out of her drink. “I’m guessing you were in the volleyball team that Kiyoko-chan managed?”

I nodded and subconsciously reached for my own beer to take a sip. “Yup! I was the brains behind the team,” I grinned proudly as she chuckled at my own prideful moment. “Mm, Tsukishima and Kageyama are close seconds,” Daichi muttered as I immediately turned my head towards him with a huge smile.

Nishinoya was always receptive to others and would sometimes act recklessly. However, I had to thank him. If I didn’t switch seats with Asahi, maybe Yamamoto-san and I wouldn’t have talked as much. Maybe she wouldn’t have spoken to me first. Who knows, but all that mattered was that I walked out of that dinner with her Line ID and a _see you around next time!_

\- - -

I went a whole week debating if I should message her first. I didn’t want to seem too eager, you know? Asahi mentioned that both of us looked way too gleeful while we were talking to each other and even happier when we exchanged Line IDs. _“It was like I saw two of you in one frame,” Asahi laughed as we all walked towards the train station after dinner. “You should’ve saw when they first met,” Daichi chimed in with a big grin as I shoved him away from me to prevent him from saying any more._

_“Are you gonna message her?” Asahi asked. “I want to, but I wanna play smart,” I replied even though I had no plan in mind._

And I’ve been stuck like this for a week. I stood outside of a building at the end of the stairs while waiting for Daichi to get out of class for the late afternoon. We decided that we were going to play volleyball at a neighborhood park nearby our university since it has been a while. I leaned against the edge of the rail with my back facing the building, my hand fiddling around on my phone as I tried to let time pass. I stared at Yamamoto-san’s profile picture and her little message of _“Recommend me cute cafes to study at please! ^^”_

Ah, maybe that’s what I could message her with. That wouldn’t seem too creepy, right? Just as I was about to start a chat with her, I felt a gentle bump against my left arm, and I was brought back to reality. When I turned my body slightly, it sure felt like it wasn’t a reality yet. There she was—the girl I was just thinking about.

“Yamamoto-san,” I managed to say as she immediately bowed with her friend laughing on the side. “Sugawara-san! I’m sorry!” She almost shouted as she tousled her hair around and let out a deep sigh. “Nana-chan pushed me away this time,” She explained as she turned her head to glare at her friend who was still laughing away.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at how she looked flustered and I immediately put my phone in my coat’s pocket. “Yamamoto-san, is this how you meet new people? Have people bump into you and you bump into other people?” I teased as I leaned forward slightly to take a closer look at her.

Her eyebrows furrowed and she crossed her arms in defense as she turned her head away in embarrassment. “N-no! It just so happens that _we_ keep bumping into each other!” She beamed as she turned her head back to face me with a confident expression. There was a short pause of silence as we glared at each other before we laughed once more.

“It’s funny how this keeps happening, huh? It’s almost like we’re magnets,” I could feel my voice soften at the end and her eyes widened slightly at my comment. Her smile was small but warm and her gaze shifted downwards to the ground. “Yeah…I guess so…”

This was my only chance, I thought. I have to ask her now or I may not have a better way. “Hey…I have a question,” I asked as I stuffed both of my hands into my coat’s pockets, my left hand clutching onto my phone. Her friend must have felt the shift in our mood as she quickly got on her phone and walked away to call someone.

I now had her full undivided attention and, man, I could feel my heart beating hard against my chest. I inhaled deeply and straightened up my posture as I continued on, “I noticed that you were looking for new cafes to study at from your Line status. I usually study at this one café and I was planning to go this weekend, so I was wondering if you’d like to come along?”

It felt like there was a long pause between us, but I knew my sense of time would be off during this moment. Almost like slow motion, I saw her whole face light up and she immediately nodded at my request. “Of course! I love visiting new cafes and I was hoping to catch up on some work this weekend!”

She sounded so excited and I couldn’t help but think: _I want to hear her voice like that all the time._ I grinned widely and gave a curt nod, “Perfect. I’ll message you the details then?”

“Okay!” She smiled as her friend called out to her after her conversation. “Rie-chan, c’mon! We’re gonna be late to dinner!”

“I’ll see you this weekend, Yamamoto-san,” I said as we both bowed our heads to each other. As she started to walk towards her friend, she turned around and smiled, “You can call me Yamamoto!”

A small chuckle escaped my lips and I gave her a thumbs up, “See you later, Yamamoto! And Sugawara is fine with me!” She nodded and turned her back towards me as she walked away with her friend.

“Oh? Was that Yamamoto-san?” A deep voice popped up behind me and the smile on my face must have been a giveaway to Daichi as he studied me curiously. “So it was,” He chuckled as we both headed off to the nearby neighborhood gym.

I must have been on top of my game that night as our team was able to win, though Daichi says that I have a new good-luck charm.

\- - -

“Hello!” Yamamoto-san waved as she approached closer to me. I arrived at the train station a good half an hour before we were supposed to meet. The nerves got to the best of me and I knew I had to calm myself down before we met. She wore her white beanie again and as she got closer, her nose and cheeks were the same light red that I noticed the first day we met.

“Did I make you wait long?” She asked as her bottom lip stuck out slightly in a pout. I shook my head quickly and grinned, “Not at all. I arrived a few minutes ago actually. Should we get going?”

We both got onto the empty train after getting our tickets and we sat down next to each other by the doors. “I was looking at the food and drinks the café has. Everything looks so good,” She whispered as she took out her phone and showed me a picture of one of the strawberry shortcakes the café sells. “I really want to try this one. The strawberries look so sweet,” She continues on as her eyes lock onto the picture.

“Ah, I usually get that too. It will definitely live up to your expectations,” I grinned while I leaned slightly to look over at her phone. “Really? Great! I’m excited,” She turned her head up slightly to look at me with that winning smile of hers. _I can’t be falling, right? This is our first time hanging out—Wait, this is just us hanging out, right? It’s not a date, right? Uh oh…No, no Koushi…Just let it go. Don’t think much of it._

We arrived at the small two-story café where people were just going in to get their morning coffee and breakfast. We were able to get a table on the second story that was next to a window where we could see people walking by below us. Thankfully, this was also my usual seat in the establishment so at least I had a familiar scenery to help distract my nerves.

“What do you want to drink, Yamamoto? I’ll pay for it,” I offered as I settled my bag and coat on one of the two chairs in front of me. She was doing the same while she fixed her half tucked-in oversized gray sweater and rolled up her sleeves. She looked up at me and laughed nervously while shaking her head, “No, you’re too kind, Sugawara! I can pay for my drink!”

“I insist! We went through a pretty long train ride and this is your first time here, so I must,” I quickly replied as she hummed softly and exhaled deeply. “Fine, but I will pay you back next time!” She agreed.

_Next time…_ So this wasn’t going to be our last time hanging out. It brought a wave of relief and those words broke the ice between us. She likes hot vanilla lattes during the winters and iced drinks during the rest of the year, according to her tastes. She’s not picky about coffees but when she tried her drink, she gave a sign of approval and nodded in determination to start her work.

I learned that she was a business administration major in hopes to make enough money and support her family. She decided to not continue track and field during high school so she could work at her aunty’s restaurant during her free time. However, she continues to run to clear her head and release any overwhelming stress. Yamamoto-san was determined and had a good heart. Anyone could recognize that by just talking to her once.

“An elementary school teacher? You would be so cute with children,” Yamamoto-san commented as she rested her elbow on the table to cup her cheek, her pen held between her fingers, and her head tilted to the side with her signature high ponytail. “But I bet it sure is difficult to keep them all in place with all of them growing up,” She added on.

“Mm, when you dealt with a variety of volleyball teammates during high school, you would feel invincible. That’s why I was vice-captain,” I proudly stated as I tried not to think too much about Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Hinata. A sudden burst of laughter escaped her lips and she covered her mouth gently as she leaned back in her chair, “Kiyoko-chan wasn’t exaggerating then. Well, it seems like you’re ready for the field, Sugawara _sensei_.”

_She’s giving me the same energy of teasing—The way her eyes playfully sparkle, her smile big and wide, the quiet laugh under her breath—It was almost like looking at a mirror of myself._

During the middle of our study session, I stepped away for a moment to stretch my legs. Everything was going good so far—everything felt—normal. I walked downstairs and glanced at the glass case that displayed all of the desserts. There were a few slices left of the strawberry shortcake and I thought I would order a couple slices for us before they sold out for the day. A group of people were in front of me and I kept my eye on the shortcake.

“Hm? I thought you went to the bathroom,” A familiar voice popped up to my right and she stood next to me curiously. “I just wanted to walk around—and I also thought I’d get the strawberry shortcake for both of us,” I replied as she stared at the dessert case. “Aw, thank you, Sugawara! I swear, I will pay you back next time!” She nodded firmly as we watched two slices of the cake get taken away.

“Oh no…” I murmured as the line moves forward. “We can share a slice if you want. I want to keep my appetite for dinner later on,” Yamamoto-san suggested with a reassuring smile. “I’m gonna head back upstairs. I wanna make sure no one stole our belongings,” She laughed quietly while she walked away.

Dinner? Both of us or does she mean her dinner at home? I wasn’t sure at the time, but I was able to get the last piece of shortcake. Yamamoto-san’s rating? _“10/10! The strawberries are so sweet,” She raved with a few quick nods._

Time flew by quickly for the both of us and the skies started to turn a mixture of dark orange and red. After a successful study session and getting to know each other more, we decided to pack up and walk back to the train station. It was silent between the both of us despite crowds forming around us as they enjoy their Saturday evening. We were probably both drained from our work.

As we got closer to the train station, I saw a slight shudder in her steps from my peripherals and I turned my head to get a clearer look. She had her hands rubbed together and she exhaled deeply in an attempt to keep herself warm. “I forgot my gloves at home…” She whispered before she cracked a grin to look up at me. “I’ll be okay though!”

“No you won’t,” I chuckled as I removed my gloves and felt the cold air push against my hands. “Here, you can wear mines, if you want.” She started to reject my request by waving her hands around, but I continued to extend them out towards her with a hard glare. “C’mon, Yamamoto. You’re shaking. Please, just wear them. You can give them back to me later.”

After a little hesitation, she slowly reached out for the gloves. Her hands were petite as my gloves looked large on her, but she flashed a thankful smile as she crossed her arms together to keep herself a little warmer. We didn’t get dinner together that night, but I was able to walk her home to her apartment complex. She lived by herself in a cozy one-bedroom apartment to be closer to the university. It seemed like a safe area as I walked back to my own neighborhood, but she also had this sense of content with living by herself.

And the gloves she insisted on washing? I got them back the next week since we decided to go back to the café and study.

\- - -

“Suga-san, let’s play volleyball tomorrow!” Tanaka suggested as I was at his apartment with the others to have a Friday night drinking session. Daichi sat on the floor while he gulped his beer down and Asahi rested his back against the bottom of the couch with his arms crossed, the expression of exhaustion draped across his face after a long day of work.

We were all seated on the floor in a circle to surround the low table full of beer and food. Nishinoya munched on the fried chicken with his energy high as usual. Shimizu walked in quietly and took her seat next to Tanaka with the male immediately encasing her with his arms. “Sugawara can’t play tomorrow,” Shimizu mentioned as she stared directly at me from across the table. I wanted to gently decline since I would always go but spending time with Yamamoto-san always made my week.

“What do you mean? Suga-san always plays volleyball with us,” Nishinoya chewed through his food as all eyes landed on me. “He’s got a date,” Daichi casually responded and Asahi’s eyes opened widely as he leaned forward.

“Date?!” “Is it with that girl from the mixer?!” “Our mixer actually worked!” “Be quiet, Tanaka.”

“It’s not a date,” I stammered as I laughed away the nervousness. “We’re just getting dinner, that’s all.”

“Sugawara,” Shimizu called out as everyone went silent. “Date or not a date, please take care of Rie-chan.” She was serious and almost stiff with her tone sharp. I wanted to ask why, but I had a feeling that she wouldn’t tell me unless absolutely necessary.

Asahi grinned widely and slung his arm around my shoulders as he gave a few pats on my shoulder, “Of course he will, Sugawara is one of the kindest people.”

When I went home that night, a slight unsettling feeling rested at the pit of my stomach. I fell asleep to Shimizu’s words and her tone of voice.

\- - -

Although I couldn’t get much rest from that night, Yamamoto-san and I had dinner at a small restaurant nearby our university. I claimed they had the best spicy mapo tofu and she was willing to try it out despite not having a high tolerance for spicy foods.

She sat across from me from the single table as we were tucked away in the corner of the restaurant. We both had a glass of beer to accompany our food and it helped shake some of the nerves away. She looked _beautiful_. Her hair was down this time and she wore a long-sleeved dark green dress. Yet I still couldn’t get tired of staring at her hazel eyes that shined so brightly. And her slightly round cheeks? Adorable.

“Be careful—It’s really hot,” I warned as her spoon reached across to take a small scoop of my super spicy mapo tofu. She decided to take a chance and got the spicy mapo tofu even though she would usually get a mild dish. “No promises,” She murmured as she blew gently on the food.

Her reaction: priceless. First, her ears turned red and she let out a small squeak at the spice that instantly hit her. Her eyes widened and she perked up in her seat while she placed her spoon down. “What the—‘” She exhaled quickly and shook her head at the pain that started to form. Her lips started to turn a dark pink and her hand quickly grabbed the beer to gulp down the hotness.

“Yamamoto—‘” I tried to contain my laughter but I leaned back in my chair and covered my mouth at her reaction. “I told you!” As I shook my head, she already finished her beer and started to drink out of her water cup. “Ah, excuse me, another water and beer, please” I raised my hand with a small bow of my head to the waitress as she walked past.

As Yamamoto-san started to relax, she furrowed her eyebrows at me and rested her fists on the table, “How can you eat that?!” I grinned widely and took a huge bite out of my dish with no reaction at all while she continued to go on about how it could “ruin” my taste buds.

I paid for dinner, naturally, and we headed back to her place so I could drop her off. We were sobered up after having a couple glasses of beer, but we were still having fun with each other. As we approached her apartment, a sudden thought popped into my head. I didn’t feel nervous this time and I was confident that I wanted to ask her.

“Hey, Yamamoto.” I stopped in my tracks and turned to face her as we stood by her stairwell. She followed suit and looked up at me, her long brown coat covering almost her entire body and her hands stuffed into her pockets to keep her warm. “Are you doing anything for Christmas?”

She shook her head and smiled as she leaned her back against the wall, “No. Why?”

“Do you wanna spend Christmas together?” My voice was almost a whisper, wanting to keep everything private between us. “Just us?” She asked, almost innocently, but the small tug upwards at the end of her lips proved that she was teasing me.

Accompanied by a small laugh and nod, I leaned forward to be the same height as her, “Yes, just us two.”

She hummed for a few seconds while swaying on her tip toes, stalling the time with her answer. “Mm…Hm…”

“Well I guess that’s my answer,” I decided to play along with obvious disappointment in my voice while I turned my back to her, trying to hide the smile that started to form on my face. “Of course, silly,” She answered sweetly, and it immediately made my feet swivel back around to face her.

“Should we call that a date then?” I grinned widely as I leaned forward slightly this time with my hand rested on top of her head. Her hair felt soft and silky as my fingers gently laced through the top of her head. She was quiet the whole time and I could feel the tension shift between us.

Under the poorly lit stairwell, the dim light showcased her pink cheeks. Her head moved into a soft nod and she flashed a warm smile, “I would like that.”

Out first date…on Christmas. I couldn’t believe it. This all had to be a dream, right?

But I’m so glad it wasn’t. This was real. This was the reality that we were both creating.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading the first chapter! ♡ I apologize for any grammatical or spelling mistakes that I made!
> 
> My writing is still a little rusty and I usually don't write in first person point of views, but I thought I'd try it out! I'll get better over time!


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